TRIPLE MURDER AND SUICIDE

JENREE, MURPHY, JENKINS

Posted By: Nancee(McMurtrey)Seifert (email)
Date: 1/5/2002 at 14:41:26

Leon Reporter
August 9, l894

>From CLARENCE JENREE we learn the
particulars of a horrible triple
murder and suicide committed at Chariton
yesterday morning, about ten
o'clock. MR. JENREE was at the depot when
the tragedy occurred and
assisted in caring for the dead and wounded.

The crime was committed by night
baggagemaster JENKINS, a young man
about 30 years of age, and his victims were
MRS. MURPHY, who keeps a
boarding house just across from the depot,
and her two daughters. It
seems JENKINS had been engaged to the
youngest daughter and was very
jealous. In addition he thought the mother
and married sister were
interfering, so he went down town and got
another revolver in addition
to the one he carried. Going to the house,
he shot the girl, JENNIE
MURPHY through the heart, killing her
instantly, and then shot her
sister in the stomach. She died in two
hours. The mother was shot
twice in the stomach and hip and cannot
recover. JENKINS then went
upstairs and reloaded his revolver, and
before any one tried to arrest
him, he blew his own brains out.

To make the affair more horrible, a sister of
the murdered girls was in
a very delicate condition and upon hearing of
the murders became a
raving maniac.

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Copied December 27, 200l